Constipation can create significant discomfort and this common digestive condition makes you experience some difficulty emptying your bowels. It is caused by hardened feces, which can be caused by several factors. These factors include lack of dietary fiber, dehydration, side effects of some drugs, and leading a sedentary lifestyle. The good news is that constipation doesn’t necessarily have to be solved with medication because it can also be remedied with food. Having said that, here are some best foods to help get rid of it:
Prunes
For those who don’t know, prunes are simply dried plums. These plums can be taken independently or as part of a delicious combination. An example of a perfect combo consisting of them and other foods is lamb tagine with artichoke hearts and dried plums. This Mediterranean style dish is absolutely delicious, nutritious, satisfying, and filling. Besides other essential nutrients, it’s a good source of dietary fiber, which is good for constipation, thanks to prunes.
By the way, you can cook your own recipe from scratch or order a halfway done meal kit from Sun Basket so that you don’t have to start from scratch. Never heard about Sun Basket before? Well, it’s one of the best meal delivery services available so far. I would compare it to the likes of Hello Fresh or Home Chef. Speaking of which, here is a professional comparison and contrast between them. Check it out to compare and contrast the different aspects shared by the two online meal kit providers. In other words, I’m talking about things like the ease of ordering meals, dietary preferences, meal variety, delivery, and packaging as far as each meal delivery service goes.
Leafy Greens
Leafy greens like broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and spinach have a few characteristics in common. These well-loved vegetables are high in fiber, folate, vitamin C, and vitamin K. Because of high dietary fiber contents in them, they tend to add weight to stools, making it easier to pass the stools through the gut, alleviating constipation.
Just like other foods, leafy greens can be consumed independently or alongside other dietary-fiber-rich foods like vegetable salads, skin-on roast potatoes, and whole-wheat pasta for quicker results. If you prefer to consume your greens cooked, just make sure to avoid overcooking them to avoid destroying most of their nutrient contents. Even though dietary fiber isn’t prone to heat, other important nutrients like vitamins and minerals certainly are.
Legumes
Beans fall under the category of legumes. Likewise, there are several types of beans in existence including black beans, kidney beans, navy beans, pinto beans, split peas, mung beans, and more. What other types do you know? Well, you can save your answer for another day. For today, it’s only important that you learn the fact that beans are a major source of dietary fiber, which plays a vital role in digestion and constipation prevention.
With that said, if you are suffering from constipation because of the food you ate a few hours ago, dehydration, or any other reason, try eating beans in your next meal and you can thank me later. I hope you know a few delicious ways to enjoy beans. Personally, I like taking my beans with white rice or as a salad consisting of corn and some vegetables.
Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes are not only sweet as their name suggests, they are also very tasty and filling. But another key reason to indulge in these starchy vegetables is health. After all, they are rich in dietary fiber among other essential nutrients. Therefore, consuming them more often can help keep constipation and other indigestion problems at bay. To optimize your dietary fiber intake from them, make sure you eat the skin. By the way, sweet potatoes go well with meat or vegetable soups, cold smoothies, yogurt, milk, or any other beverage. But if you don’t want to get too filled, take them independently. As far as their cooking styles go, they can be roasted, baked, or boiled. Just remember to cook them skin-on.
Whole Grain Rye Bread
Rye bread, which is made from whole grain is a well-known source of dietary fiber. This bread is so rich in the fiber that two slices of it alone contain four grams of fiber. That amount makes for about 15% of your daily dietary fiber intake requirements. As such, if you are suffering from any indigestion problem including constipation, try eating rye bread. It will surely work wonders. Hello Fresh has a nice rye bread recipe you can check out.
Apples
Apples are many peoples’ favorite fruit. They are sweet, succulent, with a distinctive pleasant flavor and texture that many people simply can’t resist. But as it turns out, these pome fruits are not only a pleasant treat to our taste buds, but they are also a great remedy for constipation and other digestive problems. That health benefit can be attributed to their high amounts of dietary fiber content. Eating one apple a day can help keep constipation at bay. No wonder there is an old saying that goes; an apple a day keeps the doctor away.
Kefir
Kefir is a type of milk drink that is fermented with a sour taste. Made from a culture of yeasts and bacteria, this milk serves as a great remedy for constipation and other digestive problems. That’s because it’s high in dietary fiber and bacteria that will improve your digestive health. If all the remedies above fail to work, turn to kefir and you’ll be glad you did.
If you are suffering from constipation, you don’t necessarily have to visit your doctor to get relief. That’s because there are many foods you can eat to achieve that naturally. These foods include prunes, leafy greens, legumes, sweet potatoes, whole grain rye bread, apples, and kefir. They are all rich in dietary fiber. As you already know, lack of dietary fiber is a major cause of the digestive problem.